Tuesday, 8 September 2015

Guest Post | The Artistry of Writing by Sharlene Almond

Today I am very happy to host a guest post by author Sharlene Almond, you can find out more about Sharlene here, and check out her books on amazon.

On the blog today, she'll be talking about her writing methods, and sharing some helpful tips and tricks with you all.

So let's hand over to Sharlene.

The
Artistry of Writing

by

Sharlene Almond

Writing
can be fun, challenging, boring, stimulating or informative. When a
writer gets ‘writers block’, it can be one of the most
challenging areas of writing. How does an author keep writing if that
happens?

I’ve
been writing novels for about five years now. Thankfully, I haven’t
actually had writers block… yet. Partly, I attribute the regular
flow of writing to having an established writing process. A process
that keeps the creative juices flowing, and allows me to keep a good
rhythm going.

One
of the techniques I stumbled across when I was researching ‘how
best to write a novel’ was the ‘snowflake method’. I had so
many ideas; yet creating a novel from them was another thing, to make
these ideas into a cohesive whole.

Using
Snowflakes to Coat Your Novel

The
‘snowflake method’ can be quite a tedious process, and I don’t
complete all the steps now; however, when starting my first novel, it
was helpful.

The
process comprises of writing a one-sentence summary of the novel, no
character names, just establishing a general idea of what you want
the novel to be about.

The
next step, I expanded that sentence into a paragraph, including the
set-up, major disasters and the ending. Although, you don’t have to
be exact in this, it can be helpful to have one sentence for the
backdrop, one for each major disaster, and one more to tell the
ending.

My
next focus was on the characters. How did I want to portray my
characters? Who was my main character? Fortunately, I already had a
general idea of who I wanted my main character to be. The other two
main characters just seemed to fall into place with the plot.

But
of course, it’s important to really understand my characters, so I
could understand their reactions. Writing out a one-page summary for
my characters, enabled me to get a better idea of where I wanted
everything to head. To include what they looked like, what they
liked, their background. Everything that I could think of to include,
I made sure to put in that summary. Even thinking along the lines of
their favourite quote enabled me to get a better picture of them.

My
following step was to write a full-fledged paragraph based around the
earlier summary paragraphs, developing the details.

Once
I had a fair idea of the overall ‘feel’ of the novel, I could
then write a one-page character synopsis about the main characters,
and a half-page synopsis of the other relevant characters.

The
final two steps of this process is to elaborate on the plot synopsis,
and the character synopsis. That there was my general outline to how
I wanted my novel to go.

Currently,
I don’t tend to still do this entire process, as I have the same
main characters throughout my other novels.

Exceling
Your Novel

The
last part of the ‘snowflake method’, I still find the most
valuable part of the process, and the technique I still use for every
novel. And that is using Word Excel to write out a chapter outline.

The
functional element for this technique is that it can be used for any
sort of writing, and when conducting research, it is easier to add
details to the spreadsheet.

Number
the chapters at the top of the spreadsheet, going across. Underneath
each chapter write out a sentence or two, using the synopsis as a
guide.

This
final process enabled me to have a clear idea of what I needed to
write every day, as well as making sure the novel continued on
cohesively, and that everything made sense. Especially when adding
extra detail, it can be easy to get slogged down. I found the
spreadsheet prevented this.

Because
my novels have continuous flashbacks, as well as the historical
aspect to my novel; the spreadsheet is incredibly important for me.
The chapter outline enables me to see where I want to put the
flashbacks, and where I want to write in the historical aspect.

Research,
Research, Research

The
other part of the process was to research everything I needed to
include in the novel. For me, research is one of the most fundamental
aspects to the writing process. Not only because it’s required to
give accurate information, but I stumble across things that I can add
to my chapter outline that I wouldn’t have previously thought
about.

My
writing process is not set in stone. When I begin writing, I
continuously carry out research for every chapter, and add to the
spreadsheet. I usually start off with about thirty chapters on the
spreadsheet; but the final product can be around hundred chapters (as
my chapters are short).

Putting
it all Together

The
final piece in the writing puzzle for me, and the other aspect that I
still use for my novels – is the project file. The project file
comprises of a three-ringed binder and dividers. Each section is
labelled for things like characters, setting, ideas/theme etc. That
way I have everything in that folder I need. And when I’m doing
research, I know what I need to research. This also allows me to go
through the folder, and pick out relevant information. As through the
research process, it can be very easy to get bogged down by too much
information.

Having
it all in a folder, then making notes from the printed research puts
my brain where it needs to be.

Just
Enjoy

As
I’ve said before, I don’t implement all of these techniques. But
some are still very useful to allow one small idea to develop into a
cohesive, and hopefully exciting novel.

Writing
always keeps me on my toes. I’m always amazed how much is changed
from the first draft to the third. The ‘bad guy’ (or female) has
changed for every single novel.

That’s
one of the things I love most about writing – even I’m surprised
at the ending!

Below
are some links to articles that helped me in the writing process: